Senior Suffers Fatal Injuries in Crash on I-15

An 80-year-old Temecula man was killed Wednesday and two people were injured in a crash on Interstate 15 in Murrieta, when the victim apparently lost control while braking for stopped traffic.

The wreck happened just before 2 p.m. on southbound I-15, south of Murrieta Hot Springs Road. California Highway Patrol officer Mike Lassig said that the victim, whose identity was not immediately released, was in the No. 3 lane of the southbound side of the freeway, traveling about 65 mph in his 1999 Lincoln Town Car, when a 2003 Dodge Ram van abruptly slowed as traffic ahead of him came to a stop. The Lincoln driver applied his brakes but lost control, spinning out in lanes. Lassig said the driver’s side of the Lincoln impacted the rear of the van, causing the Town Car to careen into the center median, while the van was pushed onto the shoulder of the freeway. Murrieta Fire Department paramedics arrived within a few minutes and pronounced the senior dead at the scene. The 61-year-old man at the wheel of the van and his 58-year-old female passenger, each identified only as Downey residents, suffered minor injuries and were taken to Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar for treatment.

Southbound I-15 was partially shut down for several hours because of the collision, which remains under investigation.

Senior Suffers Fatal Injuries in Crash on I-15 was last modified: December 19th, 2018 by Contributing Editor